The chase is over: Alex Ovechkin has broken Wayne Gretzky’s 31-year NHL regular season goal-scoring record.
From his patented spot on the left face-off circle, Ovechkin did the improbable, scoring his record-breaking 895th career goal against the New York Islanders on April 6 to stand alone at the top.
With 895 (and counting) goals scored during his 20-year career, here is a breakdown of Ovechkin’s goal statistics and its historical significance.
1,487 — It may have been a coincidence or it may have been a sign, but it took Ovechkin 1,487 games to reach his 895th goal, which was the same number of games Gretzky played in during his career when he totalled 894 career goals. Adding to the prognostication, Gretzky scored his 894th and final career goal against the New York Islanders — the team that Ovi scored 895 against — adding to the ties between the two all-time greats.
183 — Ovechkin has scored his 895 career goals against 183 goaltenders, which is an NHL record. He has beaten future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury the most, scoring 28 goals in 47 games against him, while his milestone goal on April 6 was the first he scored against his fellow countryman, Ilya Sorokin. There have also been 28 goalies whom Ovechkin has recorded a shot against but hasn’t scored on, with Vitek Vanecek making the most saves (19) without allowing a goal to Ovechkin.
565 — During his career, Ovechkin has scored 565 even-strength goals, which ranks third overall in NHL history. His first career even-strength goal came in his NHL debut on October 5, 2005, against the Columbus Blue Jackets when he recorded a pair of goals in Washington’s 3-2 home victory. Ovi is now only two even-strength goals away from leaping above Gordie Howe for second all-time at the time of writing and is 53 away from passing Wayne Gretzky for first in that category.
325 — One of the most prolific and dangerous power-play snipers, Ovechkin is the NHL’s all-time leader in power-play goals with 325. Known for making a living at the left face-off circle on the man advantage, Ovechkin notched his first power-play marker in his NHL debut on October 5, 2005, and hasn’t looked back since. The 39-year-old has recorded double-digit power-play goal years in 18 of his 20 seasons in the NHL while scoring 20 or more power-play goals in four seasons with 25 in 2014-15 being his single-season career-high.
136 — Adding to his potent arsenal, Ovechkin has also showcased his clutch gene, scoring an NHL all-time high 136 game-winning goals throughout his career. Ovechkin’s first career game-winning goal came in his fourth NHL game on November 10, 2005, when he buried a third period power-play goal to lead the Capitals to the 3-2 victory against the New York Rangers. He has recorded a career-high 11 game-winning goal seasons three times, occurring in the 2007-08, 2010-11 and 2014-15 seasons.
32 — To break a goal-scoring record, goals need to come in bunches, and Ovechkin did just that as he’s registered 32 career hat-tricks, which is the fifth most all-time. His first career hat trick came on January 13, 2006, scoring all three Capitals goals against the Anaheim Ducks in a 3-2 overtime victory. The Ducks are just one of 20 NHL teams whom Ovechkin has scored a hat trick against, which is tied with Brett Hull for the most teams recording a hat trick against in NHL history.
14 — Longevity also plays a massive role in reaching a goal-scoring milestone, and Ovechkin has shown his knack for scoring throughout his entire 20-year career. “The Great 8,” as he is commonly referred to, has tallied 14 40-goal campaigns, which is the most in NHL history. His first 40-goal season came in his rookie year when he recorded 52 goals, resulting in Ovi winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie. Ovechkin’s most recent 40-goal season was in fact this season, having scored 44 goals in 65 games.
65 — Ovechkin’s best season on a goal-scoring front was in 2007-08, when he recorded a career-high 65 goals — his only season where he passed the 60-goal plateau. That season, Ovi scored 22 power-play goals, 11 game-winning goals and two overtime goals, indicating his impact on team success. He is one of only five players to score 60 or more goals in a single season in the 21st century, joining an exclusive list of Steven Stamkos, Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak and Auston Matthews (twice).
9 — As a result of his high-scoring seasons, Ovechkin has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richars Trophy as the NHL’s regular season goal scoring leader nine times during his 20 seasons. Ovechkin first won the award in 2007-08, when he recorded his career-high 65 goals, and his most recent Rocket Trophy was captured in the 2019-20 season, when he scored 48 goals in a COVID-shortened 68 games. Due to his goal-scoring success, Ovi has been awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP three times (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2012-13) and has won the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player on three separate occasions (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10).
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With the chase now in the rear-view mirror, Ovechkin has his eyes set on 1,000 career goals, which would further cement him as the greatest goal scorer of all time if he can accomplish that feat.
For more information and statistics on Alex Ovechkin, visit nhl.com.